Latest work: "Kimono Package #5"

I seem to be going through a "stripes" phase lately, which is good. Better to have something solid to fall back on than nothing.

Anyway, I'm continuing to work on photos I've taken of a paper packet, an antique I got that was used to package a kimono. It unfolds four ways, giving me so many ways of shooting it.

In this case, I combined two of the photos and then added "stripes" from a variety of other photos I've taken of the same subject.

I'm going to continue working along this same theme for the rest of the year, in between other projects.

NOTE: Carol F. and Ann L.: I've made a rough draft of the first page of my Kyoto book and immediately see that I need to prep my photos specifically for this project. The picture I'm working on is of the Maiko, remember her? My picture is going to be stained, so I have to make sure that her face comes gleaming through and doesn't look dull, as it does right now. Am hoping I have something to show here this week.

And now we are off for a little drive up toward the Canadian border where there's a Japanese washi paper store I just found out about. Woo hoo!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

More stripes . . .

My challenge on this recent trip to South Carolina was to find and photograph stripes. Stripes are often formed in bright sunlight, when reflections and shadows create lovely repeating patterns. Alas, it rained a lot this trip! This is the best I could do.

All of these photos were toned with a slight sepia tint to warm them up, including the pictures taken at Folly Beach, where the lighting was harsh and bright. I could have emphasized the harshness by making those images quite contrasty, but instead I decided to simply warm them up, still maintaining the strength of light and shadow and repeating pattern, but softening the look just a bit.

People have been commenting that I've not been posting much on Facebook nor here, wondering if everything's okay. Yup. Better than okay, in fact. I am creating collages, prepping photos, and making monoprints. I just don't feel I have anything worth sharing yet, so I'm lying low.

Winter is a time for hibernation, and that's kind of what I'm doing. Moving slowly but with intention, getting rid of things that no longer are a part of my life (like two tall file cabinets full of California research material!) and clearing the decks for a new (creative) chapter. More about all this later.

Wishing you a winter of content, creativity, and contemplation.

©Carol Leigh

 All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Stripes!

I'm thinking my blog posts this week while I'm in South Carolina will concentrate on stripes. I've found lots of them so far, so why not? I'm also shooting with the big cameras, but am trying to practice here with the cellphone camera, which is fun.

Sand fences at Folly Beach were fantastic. And then shadows on a wall at Hilton Head Island became part of the mix, as did shadows on a walkway.

When visiting a new place it's easy to be overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Having a particular subject to look for eases the photographic tension somewhat, which is always a good thing.

Copyright Carol Leigh